Team really picked it up when Perkins was inserted into the line-up. Tony is invaluable but we will needed added production to offset the loss of Keagan and JBo.
Last edited:
Who do you think will be the most improved this season
- Thread starter GunnerHawk
- Start date
I was torn between Ahron and Payton. Patrick is a dark horse.
Kris and Tony just need to do it consistently and they will rock.
Seems like a pretty safe bet that Sandfort and Kris make the biggest statistical jumps, but I think that Mulvey makes the biggest jump in terms of competitive ability between the end of last year and this year. May not be reflected as much in the stats due to sharing time with Ogundele and Rebraca though
Picked Filip hoping he takes a huge step forward in scoring. Let our other bigs come along at their own pace. Fran wanted him and went and got him. Want him to be another under the radar, big time performer for us in his last year
I also thought of Riley for a moment. Riley has a big upside. Riley will have plenty of opportunities against the big boys of the BIG. At a mere 7' he'll look tiny next to Ming the Merciless from Purdue.
Rebraca. Started to get a beter rythm at the end of last season.. Much more potential to tap. Just needs to relax.
If he can keep developing that mid range high post shot, that's gonna be the biggest step he can make offensively.
He is what he is as a post. He's not gonna dominate guys inside. And as long as he remains solid and just hounds post on the defensive end, then the only thing left for him to do is show he can knock down some high post jumpers to free up the inside for cutters, or if we have anyone else at the 5 like Mulvey (and Filip at the 4).
I picked Riley only because he played so little last year and I think he'll see significant more minutes this year, but I can see others like Rebraca, Kris, Aaron, Payton, Tony, or Patrick making great strides in on court performances.
I'm hoping this team is the one that breaks through in March.
I'm hoping this team is the one that breaks through in March.
Last edited:
I went with Patrick. I think we see a double double average this year. You know he's going to try to fill the role of the #2 scorer.
Agreed. I think PMac has a break out year. He and Kris are going to have a lot of success.
No one even mentions him. He was hesitant offensively last year, but many times he had guys beat and didnt know when to go up. Fundamentally, he is solid. In his summer interviews, he talked a lot about confidence, and he jizzed on the thot's pierced nose. It is all about confidence with him. He could potentially double his averages.
The improvement year to year is one of the great elements of watching college basketball and a particular team….I can’t wait for the season. I think the group of TP, Patrick, PS, and Kris all have the feel of guys who are ready and have the mindset (expect it of themselves) to be a top level player in the B10.
Then there’s guys like Rebraca, Mulvey, and Ulis that could take a significant step forward, and though they might not be an all conference type, their performance could be vital to the teams success…
Great job posting by the OP and let’s go Hawks!
Then there’s guys like Rebraca, Mulvey, and Ulis that could take a significant step forward, and though they might not be an all conference type, their performance could be vital to the teams success…
Great job posting by the OP and let’s go Hawks!
Patrick will definitely score in double digits. Rebounding is not a strength.
I'm hoping this is the year Patrick really blossoms and becomes the 4* player he was represented to be. The clock is ticking on his career.
He's got a ways to go but he's got some bounce and he CAN go get them. It is a ways to go from just over 3 a game.
I went with Sandfort as did the majority…. Weird no one even mentions him in these threads….. I know nothing about basketball but that kid just stands out to me when he gets in the game…..I’m hoping he gets much more playing time and blows up this year
He made good strides defensively last year. He still has lots of room for improvement there but he adds enough offensively that he'll contribute a lot this season. Just a sophomore!
I think he'll be really good this year but I struggle to see where he gets the consistent minutes from. He'll likely be in the 15-17 range. Kris is going to blow up over last year because his minutes will nearly double.
I think our perimeter defense with Ulis and Bowen at the point will be much better. Perkins has always been solid on defense. Kris is an above average defender. Rebracca is tough inside, just a bit undersized. PMac needs to improve his footwork on D but could be tough with his length. Sanfort plays pretty good D, but has room to improve against a penetrator.
The teams that make a run in the tourney all play good defense.
The teams that make a run in the tourney all play good defense.
I disagree about Sandfort on D. He was a liability there last year but I do think he will improve this year. I do expect the D overall to be "solid".
I picked Sandfort as most likely to improve just because I think he has a high ceiling and his stats will improve a lot - and his D will get better after a year of being exposed to what he needs to work on - as he gets more minutes.
But I do think Mulvey and Filip will take big steps as well. Kris, Tony, and Patrick will all just build upon last year and move up a step in pecking order with Keegan not here.
Sandfort was schooled the first half of the season on the defensive end. Had no idea what he was doing out there. He was much improved over the last half and showed that he could also clear the defensive glass.
He seems a lot stronger and longer than I gave him credit for coming out of HS. He has a way of getting rebounds, especially offensive put backs.
Good question and tough call from a "good problem to have" standpoint. I watched (again) the semis and the finals of the BTT and was really impressed with Tony as he was the guy, for the most part, running the point and bringing the ball up. I think a big upside with him is taking the ball to the hole. He is damn good in those situations and has the body to handle the physical nature of doing that. Kris will probably have the most improvement in numbers because he will be taking Keegan minutes...just needs to stay out of foul trouble. Sandfort is another that his raw numbers will go up because his minutes will go up. He does not lack for confidence, has a great shot and his defense did improve and expect to be much better this season. All that said I guess I would go with Kris as he has the talent to replace a bunch of what Keegan was doing.
I picked Samdfort and was surprised when the results showed he received the most votes. I thought he would have been a less obvious answer.
I chalk it up to the kid having confidence and as fans we note that and assume it’s possible he will take a jump from freshman year to soph year.
I chalk it up to the kid having confidence and as fans we note that and assume it’s possible he will take a jump from freshman year to soph year.
Payton was really coming on last year so I expect him to improve, but mostly on defense.
Ahron, on tbe other hand, was really good defensively by the end of the year but starting to shoot the 3 and drive with more confidence by the end of the season. I think his offense will pick up substantially with a full off-season of shooting without recovering from an injury like he was last year. I expect big things from him this fall/winter.
Ahron, on tbe other hand, was really good defensively by the end of the year but starting to shoot the 3 and drive with more confidence by the end of the season. I think his offense will pick up substantially with a full off-season of shooting without recovering from an injury like he was last year. I expect big things from him this fall/winter.
I will agree he improved defensively as season went on and he was solid on the glass. I do think he will make a nice jump defensively but he definitely couldn't be describes as a "good" defensive player last year.
We agree. It's all relative and I would not have described him as a good defensive player last year. He went from awful to passable. I think he can be a good defensive player in the years to come given his length and athleticism along with a willingness to mix it up.
I picked Kris just because I want to see another npoy candidate
We don't win the Purdue game without Payton. I am expecting more of that this year.
I have read from the experts posting on this board that we don't win the game if not for Joe, if not for Big O, and now if not for Payton. I guess we should assume then that it took a team effort because those 3 only scored 18 of Iowa's 75 points?
I have read from the experts posting on this board that we don't win the game if not for Joe, if not for Big O, and now if not for Payton. I guess we should assume then that it took a team effort because those 3 only scored 18 of Iowa's 75 points?
In the waning minutes, those consecutive three point makes by Payton were clutch!
Similar threads
